Several civil society representatives at the UN climate change conference on Tuesday joined the Philippines delegation head Yeb Sano in his fast to express solidarity with the country devastated by Typhoon Haiyan.
On Monday, Sano had declared he would not eat during the conference till “a
meaningful outcome” to fight climate change was in sight.

On the second day of the Conference of Parties (COP 19) of the United National Framework Convention for Climate Change (UNFCC) at Warsaw, several members of civil society groups led by Climate Action Network (CAN), a consortium of NGOs fighting for climate change issues, joined Sano.

More than 10,000 people have died due to the typhoon in Philippines while several thousands have been displaced.

The Philippines envoy had said on Monday that the typhoon was a result of the extreme climate change afflicting the world.

Representatives from 195 countries gathered in Warsaw for the 12-day conference to thrash out a deal for reduction in carbon emission and contribution to a global fund for mitigation measures.

CAN director Wael Hmaidan said members of various civil society groups would either fast for all days during the COP 19 or join in for a day-long fast.

“Most importantly, it is not the numbers but the kind of political pressure that can be put on the delegates,” he said.

Kelly Dent from trans-national NGO and advocacy group Oxfam underscored the need to streamline climate finance, wherein developed countries contribute to mitigation efforts for the damage caused by climate change in developing countries.

Sano’s emotional outburst on Monday was a result of the failure of the comity of nations to agree on a road map that delivers results rather than just promises.

This conference is supposed to set the ground for a new climate treaty to be signed in Paris in 2015. The new treaty is essential because the last COP had failed to achieve the targets with respect to the Kyoto protocol, which demanded that developed countries reduce green house gas emissions.